A study conducted by the Urban Action Group of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos (UNILAG), has lauded media coverage of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria for playing a role in checking its spread.
Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Nigeria Ebola-free on October 20, last year, the study recommended that the media should continue reporting the disease to serve aa a tool for effective prevention and control of the virus in the country.
The study also revealed that the frequency and prominence of the reports by the media played a great role in curbing the spread of the virus in Nigeria.
The group, which gathered and analysed data on the reportage of the outbreak in four national dailies, isolated a total of 719 published reports within the six-month period under study.
The analysis also revealed that an average of four news items was published per day.
It concluded that the national dailies fulfilled their social responsibility functions of informing the public about the outbreak of EVD and revealing precautionary measures to curtail the spread.
However, the study discovered that interpretative reports on the EVD was low as only 26 per cent of articles was devoted to the interpretation and analysis of the disease, rating it significantly low considering the high mortality rate (90 per cent) of the disease.
Besides, only 11 per cent of the newspaper reports were on the front and back pages, which the group implied that “Nigerian newspapers did not attach much prominence to the coverage of the EVD, probably because of other news items contending for attention, such as insecurity and politics.”
Prior to the outbreak of EVD in Nigeria, only 0.1 per cent was devoted to the reportage of the disease. The implication, the study reasoned, might be responsible for the haphazard response of approach the government and entire populace reacted to it.
The study stated: “It also reflects the lack of proactiveness by Nigerian newspapers because EVD was already prevalent in West African countries close to Nigerian borders.”
In the month that the index case was recorded (July, 2014), only two per cent of reports were on the EVD, while 50 per cent of the total news coverage of the six-month period studied was published in August after the Federal Government addressed a press conference on the outbreak. The reportage dropped to 30 per cent in September after the index case had died, and 17.9 per cent in October in which month the WHO declared the country Ebola-free.
“By October, prior to the World Health Organisation declaration of Nigeria as Ebola-free, news reportage dropped to 17.9 per cent, which should not have been so, because Nigeria was still at a critical point since the vaccine/cure for the virus had not been found. Our land borders also remained porous, making the country still susceptible to a re-emergence of the EVD,” the statement noted.
Based on the findings, the study recommended that Nigerian newspapers should step up their role in interpretative and investigative reportage on disease outbreaks.
Other issues highlighted included the need for proper training of journalists, with continuous capacity building on social development issues; encouraging communities to establish local print media with up-to-date functional libraries for information access and dissemination; government should also take keen interest in health management by providing appropriate policies that can ensure easy access to medical aid at subsidised rate.
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